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From Tulips To Tucson FROM TULIPS TO TUCSON ---

I was born in the Netherlands, a country known for its tulips, windmills and wooden shoes. With seven children in tow, my parents made the bold move of migrating across the pond to New England, when I was five. At that age, you don’t have any say in the matter. You just follow the voyage, wherever it happens to take you.

- Try as we may, even as adults, we can never really be sure of where the journey will take us. You can only hope it is where Divine Providence wants you to be and ultimately includes someone special. -

Subsequently, I spent my youth and a good portion of adulthood living just outside of Boston. Photography entered into the fray on the eve of my 25th birthday. Immediately, I knew it would remain a constant in my life for a long time to come.

During my stay in Massachusetts, I made frequent trips out west, to Arizona. It was there that two of my siblings had relocated, after completing their respective tours of duty with the military. In so doing, the door swung open to move to one of the most unique and diverse landscapes on the planet. In 2004, after photographing over three hundred weddings throughout New England, I packed my camera bags and migrated further west to Tucson.




 












The Man In The Reflex Mirror


FAVORITE MOVIES
--
- It’s a Wonderful Life with Jimmy Stewart. Heck! When this movie first debuted, most of us were still light years from being born. Nevertheless, it is a time-tested classic. Aside from that, just give me a good Western and I’ll be happy.

PASSIONS --- I enjoy good music, baseball, football, hiking, gardening - I love to watch things grow -
spending time with my family and my Border collie mix, Dixie. I especially enjoy venturing and exploring the Arizona landscape.

TURN OFFS --- I don’t particularly care for environmental apathy, greed, Wall Street rip-offs, hypocrisy, false prophets and basically anything under the sun that is wrong or unjust. I also don't like to camp in the rain.




Got a question? - Ask the photographer.



Are you licensed to do business?

Absolutely. I have been fully licensed, since my business began in 1995. My current licenses are with the state of Arizona and, locally, with the town of Marana.

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Why do you specialize in weddings? 22

The truth is I also photograph landscapes, close ups of nature, portraits and other types of events. My early interest in photography began as an expression of my love for the natural world. Nature Trail.

Having said that I don't feel anyone can do it all in photography and expect to be very good at all or any one of those things. Photography is an extremely diverse field, so it makes more sense to narrow your focus on a few subjects and continuously try to excel in those areas. Weddings accounts for the bulk of what I do.


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How would you describe your photographic style?

Early in my career, I was taught the traditional storybook approach to wedding photography. It was the popular way of photographing weddings then and is still commonly used by many studios and photographers today. The idea was to document the day as it unfolded in a story book way. The concept was good, but, in my opinion, the method required too much posing of the bride and groom, throughout the day.

I still document the day so that it tells the story but now use a photojournalists and semi-traditional approach. This gives my images a more natural feel and the bride and groom more opportunity to enjoy their day. Some posing and/or direction will always be necessary, especially with the group photos, but I try to keep it short and sweet.

In short, I would categorize my current style as a combination of classic, traditional, candid and photojournalism rolled into one. Ultimately, how much or how little I utilize these styles is based on the feedback I receive from my clients, through the conversations we have and the questionnaires I provide.

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Do you shoot digital or film?

I'm entirely digital now. I actually don't know any photographers that are still shooting weddings with film.

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What's better, film or digital?


There are minor pros and cons with each, but overall, I am of the opinion that digital has the creative edge.

I photographed with film for over twenty years. So, the fact that I am primarily shooting in digital now should speak for itself. I certainly would not be compromising quality.

If there is a downside to digital, it is that the photographer must spend a considerable amount of time in the digital darkroom, editing images. However, this is really one of the main reasons that digital photography is, in my opinion, better. Photographers can now exercise greater control over the final images. As in any field, the effort put forth, during this post production process, varies with photographers, which can translate into significant differences in the overall quality of their work.

As an added bonus, digital photographic processing is also much more environmentally friendly than traditional processes used with film.

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Do you shoot in color or black and white?

With digital, it really doesn't make sense to shoot in anything but color. You can easily convert color images to black and white or sepia tone in the digital lab afterwards. Conversely, it would be difficult and extremely time consuming to change a black and white image to color. So, by shooting in color, I'm providing my clients with more options.


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Do you have a studio or do you work out of your home?

Since I am primarily a wedding photographer and wedding photography is all done on location, there is no need to have a studio.

I have a sizable home office with several albums and wall prints for people to view. Having a home office allows me to serve my clients better. It also saves money, which I in turn can pass along to my customers.

On very rare occasions, someone questions how professional the product can be, if the photographer works from his home. Knowing what I know, I can't help but to chuckle at that. I have been in business for a long time. I started out working for a studio, almost twenty years ago. I'm certainly a much better photographer now, than I was then. LOL



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Where do your prices range?


To receive a complete price list, please take a few seconds to fill out my feedback form. We will email prices to you within 24 hours.

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What do you require to reserve the date.

First, I hope you understand, it is impossible for a professional wedding photographer to commit his or her services without a good faith deposit to reserve the date. That doesn't just work to the photographers favor, but the customers as well. How can you be assured the photographer is going to show up on your wedding day, if there is no commitment?

A $200 retainer is required to reserve the date and is applied to your package. The retainer is $450 for packages reserving 2 photographers.

When a couple books with me, it says a lot. It means they are putting their trust and faith in me. That helps to motivate me to do whatever I can to ensure they are not disappointed.

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What kind of payments do you accept?

Payments, related to packages and deposits, can be made with cash, check and all major credit cards, using our Paypal service. When prints are purchased through our on-line proofs storefront, all conventional credit card payments are accepted.

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Are you still available to photograph weddings in New England?

Most certainly! Since I moved to Tucson, I have already flown back to New England several times to photograph weddings there. Lodging is covered. Airfare is extra, but the overall cost is still competitive with area photographers. To have a detailed price list emailed to you, please take a couple of seconds to fill out my prices request form.

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How long have you been photographing weddings?

After eight years of doing nature photography, I took my first wedding photos in 1990, while working as an assistant. The following year, I began shooting them as the primary photographer. So, I have been photographing nuptials in one form or other for about nineteen years. I have been in business for myself since 1995 (fifteen years).


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How does a question become a frequently asked question?



If I'm asked the same question more than twice, it qualifies.



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HELPFUL LINKS



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PLANNING: Party - Wedding Info.


A CAMERA FOR EVERY OCCASION: http://www.customcameracollection.com.


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